Safaritalk: financing anti-snare collars for the painted dogs of Zimbabwe Options

[Game Warden]

In association with the Predator Conservation Trust, www.safaritalk.net is launching a new campaign to finance the purchase of specially made anti-snare collars for the painted dogs of Zimbabwe.

The recent topic 'The Horror of snares' illustrated the problem of snares left by poachers and the damage they cause to wildlife in general and the Painted Dogs in particular. Painted Dogs are extremely rare so the death of even one to a wire snare is a sad loss.

Greg Rasmussen of the Painted Dog Project (Zimbabwe) has designed in conjunction with a radio tracking collar supplier a special plate made from aluminium which runs along the base of the collar with 3 rows of rivets, 17 in total, protruding from it.

This collar saved the life of the dog which was wearing it.

If an animal wearing the anti-snare plate is unfortunate to enter a snare, the rivets act as points to break the wire and also prevent the wire cutting into the neck of the animal, raising its chances of survival. Initially fitted to radio collars, they are also now used with plain collars just to increase survival rates in areas where poaching is common.

Safaritalk members can help prevent this.

Anti-snare plates are in use at the moment but there is an urgent requirement for more - ideally every dog the Painted Dog Project follow or have reason to come into contact with would have a collar fitted to protect them from snares.

The anti-snare plates cost around 340 US dollars each (around £180), and each one can help save the life of a Painted Dog. If ten Safaritalk members donate 25 UK pounds each (50 USD +/-) that will more than cover the cost of one collar. If twenty of us contribute 25 pounds then that will be two dogs we have directly helped save and will be getting on for financing three collars.

By working closely with Greg Rasmussen and Peter Blinston of the Painted Dog Project every time a dog is fitted with a Safaritalk collar we shall be updated and photographs of the dog with its new collar be published. Imagine if the collar is fitted to a dog from a pack they follow regularly – it may well be possible to get have continuing updates as to the dog's health. A dog made safe because of our work raising funds at www.safaritalk.net.

By collaring one dog makes a difference: imagine we can collar a breeding male and female from a pack: by helping to save their lives so may future puppies be assured.

Donations can be made via the Predator Conservation Trust website using Paypal. The Donation page is

www.predatorconservation.com/donate.htm

When making a donation for the Safaritalk anti-snare collar initiative through the Predator Conservation Trust please inform Anthony May (Predator) that the money is to be used for this purpose, either by contacting him through Safaritalk or via the Trust’s website contact page here:

www.predatorconservation.com/contactus.htm.

Likewise please add the fact that you have donated to the initiative here, so we can keep a count of how we are making a difference. Of course Safaritalk respects the fact should you wish to keep your donation anonymous, however please don’t forget to update Anthony that your donation is to be specifically used for this initiative. Working with the Predator Conservation Trust which is a registered UK charity (charity number 1099452) means that your donation will make a difference to the painted dogs of Zimbabwe, and make a difference to the work of both Greg and Peter. The Trust will provide full details of the transactions and fundraising updates so as to keep a running total of how many collars have been/can be purchased.

Background:

One of the most endangered large carnivores is the Painted Dog, also known as the African Wild dog, and the Cape Hunting Dog. These beautiful animals have been ruthlessly persecuted by man to the point where they are extinct in most areas where they formerly lived and only a few small populations survive. The Painted Dog was generally regarded as vermin and was persecuted in farming areas under the auspices of protect livestock, and even in many national parks under the misguided intention of protecting antelope populations).

The Painted Dog Research Project was founded by Greg Rasmussen in 1989 and is now a unique and thriving and successful conservation project. For further details please see here:

www.predatorconservation.com/painted_dog_project.htm

The Predator Conservation Trust supports the conservation of endangered carnivore species through education, logistical and financial assistance: the Trust funds and supports a number of conservation projects based in Africa. The website can be found here: www.predatorconservation.com

[Game Warden]

In association with the Predator Conservation Trust, www.safaritalk.net is launching a new campaign to finance the purchase of specially made anti-snare collars for the painted dogs of Zimbabwe.

The recent topic 'The Horror of snares' illustrated the problem of snares left by poachers and the damage they cause to wildlife in general and the Painted Dogs in particular. Painted Dogs are extremely rare so the death of even one to a wire snare is a sad loss.

Greg Rasmussen of the Painted Dog Project (Zimbabwe) has designed in conjunction with a radio tracking collar supplier a special plate made from aluminium which runs along the base of the collar with 3 rows of rivets, 17 in total, protruding from it.

This collar saved the life of the dog which was wearing it.

If an animal wearing the anti-snare plate is unfortunate to enter a snare, the rivets act as points to break the wire and also prevent the wire cutting into the neck of the animal, raising its chances of survival. Initially fitted to radio collars, they are also now used with plain collars just to increase survival rates in areas where poaching is common.

Safaritalk members can help prevent this.

Anti-snare plates are in use at the moment but there is an urgent requirement for more - ideally every dog the Painted Dog Project follow or have reason to come into contact with would have a collar fitted to protect them from snares.

The anti-snare plates cost around 340 US dollars each (around £180), and each one can help save the life of a Painted Dog. If ten Safaritalk members donate 25 UK pounds each (50 USD +/-) that will more than cover the cost of one collar. If twenty of us contribute 25 pounds then that will be two dogs we have directly helped save and will be getting on for financing three collars.

By working closely with Greg Rasmussen and Peter Blinston of the Painted Dog Project every time a dog is fitted with a Safaritalk collar we shall be updated and photographs of the dog with its new collar be published. Imagine if the collar is fitted to a dog from a pack they follow regularly – it may well be possible to get have continuing updates as to the dog's health. A dog made safe because of our work raising funds at www.safaritalk.net.

By collaring one dog makes a difference: imagine we can collar a breeding male and female from a pack: by helping to save their lives so may future puppies be assured.

Donations can be made via the Predator Conservation Trust website using Paypal. The Donation page is

www.predatorconservation.com/donate.htm

When making a donation for the Safaritalk anti-snare collar initiative through the Predator Conservation Trust please inform Anthony May (Predator) that the money is to be used for this purpose, either by contacting him through Safaritalk or via the Trust’s website contact page here:

www.predatorconservation.com/contactus.htm.

Likewise please add the fact that you have donated to the initiative here, so we can keep a count of how we are making a difference. Of course Safaritalk respects the fact should you wish to keep your donation anonymous, however please don’t forget to update Anthony that your donation is to be specifically used for this initiative. Working with the Predator Conservation Trust which is a registered UK charity (charity number 1099452) means that your donation will make a difference to the painted dogs of Zimbabwe, and make a difference to the work of both Greg and Peter. The Trust will provide full details of the transactions and fundraising updates so as to keep a running total of how many collars have been/can be purchased.

Background:

One of the most endangered large carnivores is the Painted Dog, also known as the African Wild dog, and the Cape Hunting Dog. These beautiful animals have been ruthlessly persecuted by man to the point where they are extinct in most areas where they formerly lived and only a few small populations survive. The Painted Dog was generally regarded as vermin and was persecuted in farming areas under the auspices of protect livestock, and even in many national parks under the misguided intention of protecting antelope populations).

The Painted Dog Research Project was founded by Greg Rasmussen in 1989 and is now a unique and thriving and successful conservation project. For further details please see here:

www.predatorconservation.com/painted_dog_project.htm

The Predator Conservation Trust supports the conservation of endangered carnivore species through education, logistical and financial assistance: the Trust funds and supports a number of conservation projects based in Africa. The website can be found here: www.predatorconservation.com

[Game Warden]

To get the ball rolling I've just made a 50$ donation: so the fundraising is now live.

[Guest_John Milbank_*]

I've made a contribution too.

[predator]

Thankyou to both of you - your donations will really help.

Ant

[Jochen]

50$ more on the way.

Somehow, I feel more satisfied than naming the celebs I met while traveling...

[Nyamera]

I’ve been trying to make a donation for half an hour. Is there no way to just pay with your card when you’ve been stupid enough to get a Paypal login at some point? I was able to log in to Paypal, but it says, “we were unable to verify this card”. There’s nothing wrong with my card and I don’t have a different one.

[Guest_nyama_*]

50$ more on the way.
Somehow, I feel more satisfied than naming the celebs I met while traveling...

Me too.


Btw, I already saw such kind of collar with one of the dogs on Starvation Island. I guess my thoughts were something like "Are wild dogs now wearing punk fashion...?"

[predator]

I’ve been trying to make a donation for half an hour. Is there no way to just pay with your card when you’ve been stupid enough to get a Paypal login at some point? I was able to log in to Paypal, but it says, “we were unable to verify this card”. There’s nothing wrong with my card and I don’t have a different one.

The only thing I can think of is to log into paypal then try deleting the card and then add it again.

[predator]

A huge thankyou to everyone who has donated so far - in less than 24 hours since Game Warden posted the appeal, we've already received donations of US $225.

[Nyamera]

Now I’ve used my fathers email address, so that PayPal wouldn’t recognise me. It looks like it worked.

I tried to close my PayPal account, but discovered that I had limited access because a third party had done something on 7 November 2007! I need to send them a “utility bill” with my address on it to be able to access the account again! There is no email address anywhere on PayPal’s website, just lots of pre-set questions. Avoid PayPal as the plague!

[Guest_nyama_*]

I tried to close my PayPal account, but discovered that I had limited access because a third party had done something on 7 November 2007!

That doesn't sound good and would put me immediately into RED ALERT mode...

[predator]

I tried to close my PayPal account, but discovered that I had limited access because a third party had done something on 7 November 2007! I need to send them a “utility bill” with my address on it to be able to access the account again! There is no email address anywhere on PayPal’s website, just lots of pre-set questions. Avoid PayPal as the plague!

If you go to the help option at the top of the screen then as well as the list of choices you can look for help on, there is a "Contact us" option near the right of the screen and clicking that takes you to a screen that gives the option to email them.

[Nyamera]

I think I clicked on that “contact us” option and then some email option, but it only led me back to the questions. Now I can’t even log into the account. I’ll phone PayPal tomorrow.

[Guest_John Milbank_*]

Somehow, I feel more satisfied than naming the celebs I met while traveling...

Funny, I felt exactly the same. I read that thread and thought to myself, Why do they bother?

[nappa]

Sorry folks but here is how I see it.

How do these collars break a wire snare?

The photographs show animals snared at the foot!

IMHO Lucky are the dogs snared around the neck for death by strangulation. Unless the collar is active to be tracked the dog is now snared & dies an agonizing death by starvation & thirst much the same as if snared by the leg.

But then! I'm not an expert!

[dikdik]

Snares are not set to catch the feet of animals. They are usually an open noose between trees on a well worn animal path. It will catch a small animal round the neck, and occasionally a larger animal will be caught on the foot.

The problem is that “better” snares are made of cable and not wire. You know the thin braided high strength cable which is nearly impossible to cut, even with a good set of cutters. It slides closed better and is highly sought after by poachers. Simple snares use wire taken from the nearby fence.

I still don’t see how the collar can cut the wire.

[predator]

I think its something to do with the way the dogs walk or run - they tend to have their heads fairly low to the ground, so often get their heads in wire snares which are placed for larger game animals. Its not just the Painted Dogs that get snares around their necks though - I've also got photos of a lion and a giraffe both with snares round their necks.

The rivets on the anti-snare plates stop the wire snare from sliding down past the collar and onto the exposed neck. I would guess that the effect is also to reduce the pressure on the neck as the pressure is spread over the area of the plate/collar rather than the area of the wire so its not going to cut into the neck and probablt lessens the strangulation risk.
The rivets also act as points to break the wire - without the wire cutting into the neck whenever they move, the dog will be able to exert more pressure which is magnified against the snare because its the rivets that are pushing against the snare, and this helps break the wire. I suspect the fact that the wire tends to be bare metal and is not designed to be bent and twisted also makes it easier (snares are often telephone lines or fencing wire).

You're right that the collars wont stop a dog with a paw/leg through the snare, but they do save lives - the battered collar shown above saved a dogs life after it got its neck in a snare - luckily it was wearing the collar which although it ended up battered, did its job and enabled the dog to escape.

The photo of the deep snare wound is a neck wound on a painted dog, caused by a snare

[predator]

Thanks again to those people who have made donations - we're up to $325 now - almost the cost of one collar.

Greg Rasmussen of Painted Dog Conservation has asked me to pass on his thanks as well - both to Safaritalk for starting this fundraising drive, and to all those who have donated.

[Kavey]

I have just made a donation of $45. I specified within the paypal merchant message box that the donation was for the Painted Dog Collar project. Is that enough?

Kavita

[predator]

I have just made a donation of $45. I specified within the paypal merchant message box that the donation was for the Painted Dog Collar project. Is that enough?

Kavita

Thats great thanks Kavey/Kavita - I can confirm your donation has been received.